I recently finished teaching a seminar and, as usual, conducted prayer sessions with a number of strangers during my stay. What always amazes me is the depth of emotional pain that high-functioning, devoted Christians live with. Looking on the outside, who would guess how hurt most of us are?

    These are people who are trying. They are doing what they have been taught to do: They are in fellowship with other Christians; they are reading their Bibles; they are praying. Yet they continue to hurt within and struggle without.

    So what is holding them back?

    Basically, what we believe in our hearts about ourselves, others, life and God forms who we really are. This foundation is begun in the womb as we respond to pain. Because the heart believes what it feels and what it feels hurts, we are very invested in Never Going There Again. So we actively work to forget the pain. Thus, what we really believe is buried deeply within us.

    For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep. Psalm 64:6

    As we mature, we are taught by our culture how we are supposed to feel and what we may and may not feel. We are rarely taught how to manage what we really do feel in a healthy way. So we become even more invested in denying our true feelings and beliefs in an effort to make ourselves acceptable to others and to God. We begin a desperate striving to make ourselves into who we think we have to be. But inside we are frightened and angry, bitter and sad, overwhelmed and frustrated.

    Effective inner healing prayer brings us into the loving presence of God where we are able to safely explore the depths of our hearts. It brings to light the root causes of emotions, thoughts and behaviors in such a way that we experience the freeing love and power of Christ. It sets us free so that we may successfully walk out our salvation.

    For He knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21

    Since we believe with the heart and it is from the heart that life’s issues flow, it is imperative that we discover what we really do believe. This is best done when we are consciously in the presence of God.
    
    If you are able to intentionally tune into the presence of the Lord and if you feel safe, loved and valued in His presence, you can accomplish much inner healing without the guidance and support of another person.
    
    But many of us do not feel safe in the presence of the Lord. We’re afraid that He is angry with us, especially when we begin to connect with what is really in our hearts. This causes us to draw back before He can help us resolve our problems.

    A loving and encouraging prayer minister can really help, especially in the area of discernment. It can be challenging to know what you are discerning or even if you are discerning. Having a more experienced person teach you how to discern and how to interpret what you are discerning accelerates the process considerably.

    for with the heart a person believes... Romans 10:10

    Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

    But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. Hebrews 5:14